I am an only child. That one statement likely tells you quite a bit about me! Growing up, I lived in a teeny tiny rural town in Minnesota, so I had oodles and oodles of time where I had to entertain myself as a kid. Thank goodness I had a very active imagination! I lost hours running around our backyard pretending to be April O’Neil alongside my imaginary TMNT team, playing lion tamer to the feral kittens in my neighbors backyard, or jumping off of my swing set into imaginary long forgotten eras. CONTINUE READING

Air and water ships, old castles and ruins, steampunk machinery, and plenty of animals for good measure. What’s not to love? These common elements are just some of the reasons why I find myself frequently coming back to puzzles with artwork by Ciro Marchetti. According to my puzzle tracking spreadsheet (yes, I have one of those!), I have put together more than fifteen different puzzles featuring his artwork and have quite a few more in the to-do pile! CONTINUE READING

Lately, it feels like everyone in the puzzling world has started doing wooden puzzles, so of course I wanted to give them a try. With thoughts of Spring and the Easter bunny in my head, I decided that Garden Bunny by Wooden City would be perfect. Wooden City puzzles come packaged in environmentally friendly packaging. The 250 pieces are in a paper bag. No plastic here! There's also a small included reference picture if you need it, but I prefer to puzzle without the picture. CONTINUE READING

I was looking over my shelves of puzzles wondering what I would write about this month. Hmmm… March, not my favourite time of year. End of winter, spring is not here yet, sort of dirty snow drifts or just mud! I need something to brighten the mood. Birds! Birds on a Wire by Cobble Hill is a fun colourful pick me up for a dreary pre-spring day. There’s a lot of interaction happening between this assortment of feathered friends. CONTINUE READING

It’s a tale as old as time… are you team princess or team villain? I grew up in the Disney Renaissance era (per Wikipedia, the years 1989-1999 when Disney animation returned to producing successful animated films). The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, the Lion King, Pocahontas and Mulan are all near and dear to my heart. While the stories are old fashioned (I’m no damsel in distress! I’m an independent woman! CONTINUE READING

Those of us who love puzzles know that putting one together is a great way to relax, de-stress and enjoy some quiet time, or maybe listen to music, a book, or a podcast. There’s something about sorting through all those colorful pieces, seeing the image start to take shape, and then sitting back to enjoy the finished product and running your hand over the surface that’s so satisfying! CONTINUE READING

We all love puzzling, that’s a given, that’s why we’re here. However, us “common folk” aren’t the only ones who enjoy kicking back with a few hundred pieces of our finest artworks and finding peace in the pieces. Celebrities and notable figures around the world have often shared with us a sneak peek into their puzzling set up, or favorite images to tackle. CONTINUE READING

I think it's safe to say that most jigsaw solvers are familiar with Dowdle brand puzzles. Even if you haven't solved one, it's likely you've seen them online, or at any of several major retailers, where they are consistent best sellers (tens of millions sold to date). And while they may appear similar in style, each Dowdle image is a unique piece of folk art created by Lindon, Utah based artist, Eric Dowdle. CONTINUE READING

When most people think about puzzles, they probably think about a puzzle that's around 25" × 19", but did you know there is a whole world of mini puzzles? In all my years of puzzling, I've only assembled a couple of mini puzzles, so I'd say this is a new world for me. I was surprised to see the variety of mini puzzles available. It was difficult to do, but I narrowed it down to eight puzzles to tell you about. CONTINUE READING